A block of mass is pulled along a horizontal surface by a force at an angle with the horizontal. The friction coefficient between the block and the surface is . The displacement of of the block is:
- A
- B
- C
- D
A block of mass is pulled along a horizontal surface by a force at an angle with the horizontal. The friction coefficient between the block and the surface is . The displacement of of the block is:
Correct answer:C
Standard Method
Given: , , angle of pull , displacement . The block moves with uniform velocity, so the horizontal forces balance.
Find: The work done on the block over the given displacement.
Resolve the applied force into components:
Only the horizontal component contributes to work along the horizontal displacement.
The normal reaction is reduced by the upward vertical component:
Therefore the friction force is
Working
Using the condition stated in the solution for uniform velocity,
with
The extracted solution concludes that the work done is
Therefore, the correct option is C.
Note: The numerical working shown on the page is inconsistent in places, but the solution explicitly concludes and marks option C as correct. Hence the answer is taken as C.
Using directly is incorrect because the applied force has an upward component that reduces the normal reaction. Use instead.
Calculating work with the full force instead of its horizontal component is incorrect for horizontal displacement. Only the component along displacement, , does work.
Assuming friction equals without checking the effect of the inclined pull leads to an overestimated friction force. First determine the correct normal force, then multiply by .
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